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The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has filed amended rules for the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act and Veterinary Technicians. A copy of these proposed rules can be found in the Illinois Register, Volume 31, Issue 27. The issue is dated July 6, 2007 and includes pages 9333 to 9659.

In summary, the proposed rules increases the number of hours of continuing education required to renew a license and removes the limitation on self-study courses. In Section 1500.20 of the rules for the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act, specifies that an applicant may not take the licensing examination more than five times in a five-year period. Makes other non-substantive and technical changes.

The proposed rules are in the First Notice period which allows members of the general public to comment on the rulemaking proposal to the agency. A public hearing may or may not be held during this period. The agency can volunteer to hold a hearing or must conduct one at the request of the Governor, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), an association representing over 100 persons, 25 individuals, or a local government. Requests for hearing must be filed within 14 days after publication of the First Notice. The agency can modify the rulemaking during the First Notice by submitting a First Notice Changes document to JCAR when it gives Second Notice.

Did You Receive Your Second Notice?

NOTE: ISVMA will begin calling all non-renewed members in the third week of July. Please assist us by either returning your renewal immediately OR sending us a letter or email indicating your intentions to non-renew and, if you will, please let us know the reason you are choosing to allow your membership to lapse.

ISVMA membership dues for the 2007-2008 membership year were mailed in mid-May and were due before June 30, 2007. Second notices were mailed on July 2 to all those members who had not paid.

The ISVMA Constitution states that "any member whose dues are 30 days past due shall be suspended and all privileges of membership discontinued. Members suspended for nonpayment of dues may be reinstated at any time upon payment of the current year’s dues. The membership of those members who are under suspension for nonpayment of dues at the close of a membership year shall have all membership rights and privileges withdrawn."

Membership retention ratios are the best barometer of whether ISVMA is providing a level of service and support that is expected by our members. As such, they are even more important than acquiring new members.

For the past three years, ISVMA has retained an average of 97% of its members. All but a very few non-renewals are the result of a member moving to another state, retiring from practice or death.

If you have any questions about your membership renewal or did not receive your membership renewal packet, please contact Kyle Christiansen, ISVMA Director of Membership Services, at kyle@isvma.org.

About the Photo in This Issue...

The American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) is a chunky bird of western streams. It is North America's only truly aquatic songbird. It catches all of its food underwater in swiftly flowing streams by swimming and walking on the stream bottom.

This dark grey bird has a head sometimes tinged with brown and white feathers on the eyelids which cause the eyes to flash white as the bird blinks. It has long legs, and bobs its whole body up and down during pauses as it feeds on the bottom of fast-moving, rocky streams. It inhabits the mountainous regions of Central America and western North America from Panama to Alaska.

This species, like other dippers, is equipped with an extra eyelid called a "nictitating membrane" that allows it to see underwater, and scales that close its nostrils when submerged. Dippers also produce more oil than most birds, which may help keep them warmer when seeking food underwater. It feeds on aquatic insects and their larvae, including dragonfly nymphs and caddisfly larvae. It may also take tiny fish.

The song consists of high whistles or trills peee peee pijur pijur repeated a few times. Both sexes of this bird sing year round. It defends a linear territory along streams. Its habit of diving and walking along the bottom of streams in search of food sometimes makes it the occasional prey of large salmon or other anadromous fish.

The American Dipper's nest is a globe-shaped structure with a side entrance, close to water, on a rock ledge, river bank, behind a waterfall or under a bridge. The normal clutch is 2-4 white eggs, incubated solely by the female, which hatch after about 15-17 days, with another 20-25 days to fledging. The male helps to feed the young.

Interesting facts:

The American Dipper is usually a permanent resident, moving slightly south or to lower elevations if necessary to find food or unfrozen water.

To be able to survive in cold waters during the winter, the American Dipper has a low metabolic rate, extra oxygen-carrying capacity in its blood, and a thick coat of feathers.

Unlike most other songbirds, but similarly to ducks, the American Dipper molts its wing and tail feathers all at once in the late summer. The bird is flightless during this time.

The presence of this indicator species shows good water quality; it has vanished from some locations due to pollution or increased silt load in streams.

I photographed this American Dipper in Colorado during May 2007.

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